Unlikeable Women

I have now watched both series of 'Fleabag' (BBC, 2016-2019) 6 times through. Watching the first series back in 2016 showed me something I had not seen before on television - a woman that had many, many faults. A woman who wasn’t conventionally beautiful. A woman who was trying her best, but quite often, failed. A woman like me - I fell in love with her instantly. Across the two seasons, we meet more complex, wonderfully flawed female characters (Kirsten Scott-Thomas’ monologue in S2 - YouTube it), each with relatable parts to love and hate, much like we do about ourselves. When I feel as though I need some comfort, I go back to 'Fleabag'. Like visiting an old friend.

From here, my journey into discovering other brilliant television programmes with this format at the heart, began. If you loved 'Fleabag' and are interested in finding similar gorgeousness to devour, here I'm sharing some of my stand-out favourites that you might enjoy too.

The more family-focused but still knife sharp with wit and clever, relatable women at the heart are 'Catastrophe' (Channel 4, 2015-2019) and 'Motherland' (BBC, 2016-2020). Both bring a real-feel approach to sitcom that keeps Mum giggling and sometimes, crying, into her evening glass (or 3) of wine. The feelings of kinship are present, to a great degree.

Next, 'Gameface' (Channel 4, 2017-2019). This follows the format of Fleabag, but with a more ‘Channel 4 feel’ to it - it feels more slapstick, but in the most lovable way. As we follow Marcella across the two series, willing her to make the ‘right’ choices, and every time seeing her make the very, very ‘wrong’ choice, we despair, but relate. Hard. Which is again, the beauty of this programme.

A bit sexier, a bit shinier and a little less relatable, but still with the killer wit and excellent female-experience portrayal, is 'Killing Eve' (BBC, 2018-2020). The second series was co-written by Waller-Bridge (creator of 'Fleabag'), and you can see her shining through in both Eve and Villanelle. This one makes you question your own morals slightly (you will know what I mean if you have seen it) and whether you care about fashion or not, you will literally want to kill to get your hands on Villanelle’s wardrobe.

Another Channel 4 winner is 'Pure' (Channel 4, 2019). We have only had one series of this gem so far, and I am keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed for another. 'Pure' takes a rare, in-depth look at OCD (Pure-O) and how it is to live with this as a young woman - most specifically, the intrusive-thought element, which takes us to excruciating, laugh-out-loud, and sometimes horrifying scenes. For me, there was a pretty strong relatable sense to this one too *remembers array of catastrophising thoughts, usually as a result of a ten-tonne hangover*.

After this, and probably my favourite discovery after Fleabag - ‘This Way Up’ (Channel 4, 2019). Again, we only have one series so far of this absolute gem, but it seems as though another was commissioned towards the end of 2020 - watch this space. This one definitely hits harder than some of the lighter examples, such as 'Motherland'. We follow Shona as she re-integrates into her life after a stint at a mental health facility, after a “teeny little nervous breakdown”. This show is funny - like, really funny. But also, really bloody moving. I cried the ‘big’ tears at this one, much like I did at 'Fleabag' and 'Catastrophe' (unsurprising, as we see the main protagonist of 'Catastrophe' as Shona’s sister in 'This Way Up' - they co-wrote this series).

The stand-out for me in 2020 amid all the chaos and uncertainty, was the escape into ‘I May Destroy You’ (BBC, 2020). This semi-autobiographical exploration of sexual assault, consent, societal assumptions and expectations, friendship and navigating this modern world as a young, black woman, absolutely blew me away. As in, it stayed with me for weeks after I watched it, and I have watched it again since. It made me reflect and examine my own experiences, and try to examine and unpick answers to questions I had made unconscious assumptions about previously.

Finally, one that I wasn’t sure about but after two episodes, was absolutely hooked and binged in a day - ‘I Hate Suzie’ (Sky Atlantic, 2020). This brings in elements of all of the others - motherhood, consent, bad choices, desperation, hilarity, devastation and female friendship. I have loved Billie Piper (who plays Suzie), since I was about 11 and it was glorious to watch her now I am an adult and again, can relate in so many ways to what she portrays.

All of these programmes are important to me - each of the vastly different, wonderfully chaotic women depicted in each, hold a special place in my heart. These women showed me that it’s okay to be un-liked - and that we all deserve to be loved, regardless of our (many, many) flaws. I hope this is a trend that doesn’t end anytime soon.